Spondylosis in 4 yr old Dalmation

[whittleandjuls]

Hi
I am looking for some advice. Pongo ( I know original!! but named by 12yr old 101 Dalmation fanatic) recently showed some lameness in right hind leg. Vet advised pulled muscle and gave us Loxicom. This did show improvement but the lameness came back after the full course. After xrays our vet has advised us that she has never seen such an extreme case of spondylosis in such a young dog. (A large part of his spine is affected) Her prognosis was grim and said within 3 months he will need to be put to sleep.
She gave us more Loxicom and basically said there is nothing more to be done.
As you can imagine this caused total devastation in our house and many tears. So thats the bad news..But I am confused! Pongo shows no sign of pain at the moment ( or up to now at all) and to be honest the level of Loxicom he was prescribed just seems to space him out! He is active and happy and can jump up on the sofa with ease and runs up and down the stairs at will...I know bad days will come and I understand we are looking at a shortened life but at the moment the prognosis and extremity of the disease just doesn't match my dogs behaviour. he loves his walks... although we keep him on his lead now and he plays when he wants with our 7 year old German Shepherd. His movements/actions are less extreme ...He was a typical mad Dally! But he still wolfs his food down before it hits the floor! Has anyone else had this experience? Are there any supplements or alternative treatments that you can suggest? I have NO intention of letting Pongo suffer or be in extreme pain..But I am not quite ready to write off our much loved friend without a fight. Many thanks in advance